1848: Year of Revolution

Front Cover
Basic Books, Feb 3, 2009 - History - 496 pages
A "lively, panoramic" history of a revolutionary year (New York Times)

In 1848, a violent storm of revolutions ripped through Europe. The torrent all but swept away the conservative order that had kept peace on the continent since Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815 -- but which in many countries had also suppressed dreams of national freedom. Political events so dramatic had not been seen in Europe since the French Revolution, and they would not be witnessed again until 1989, with the revolutions in Eastern and Central Europe.

In 1848, historian Mike Rapport examines the roots of the ferment and then, with breathtaking pace, chronicles the explosive spread of violence across Europe. A vivid narrative of a complex chain of interconnected revolutions, 1848 tells the exhilarating story of Europe's violent "Spring of Nations" and traces its reverberations to the present day.
 

Contents

The Collapse
32
The Springtime of Peoples
112
The Red Summer
187
The CounterRevolutionary Autumn
263
Conclusion
399
Acknowledgements
417
Index
447
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About the author (2009)

Dr. Michael Rapport is a professor of history at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. The author of numerous books, Rapport lives in Stirling, Scotland.